No Rest for the Wicked
by Enigmarr
Summary: After news of Danny Phantom defeating Pariah Dark spreads to Hogwarts, Dumbledore suspects he may have found a new ally for the Order of the Phoenix, and Remus Lupin is sent to contact him. Little do any of them know that there's more to be found at Amity Park than just the ghostly hero, and Hogwarts just might find itself with a few new students. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1- Over My Dead Body

**Okay, just quickly before we get started-** for the sake of context, this first scene takes place at the beginning of Harry's fourth year, while the rest of the fic will take place over the course of the fifth Harry Potter book, and after the Danny Phantom episode D-Stabilized, assuming that several months have passed since then but Phantom Planet has not taken place.

Okay, that's all! Happy reading!

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**No Rest for the Wicked**

**Chapter One- Over My Dead Body**

The ghosts of Hogwarts were generally a quiet bunch. Content in their reclusive tendencies, they kept to themselves and spoke only to those who spoke to them- excepting those such as the resident house ghosts and, of course, the poltergeist Peeves. Their presence was announced by way of a distinct everlasting hum of soft chatter and a vague sensation of someone looking over your shoulder. It was, in a strange way, comforting- so when, on a stormy night, the hum fell silent and the sensation faded, it was felt instantly by all.

Gathered in the great hall the next day, the students seemed subdued, even worried, as they picked at their lunch, though none of them could quite gather why. With the other schools' competitors for the Triwizard Tournament arriving in just three short weeks it wasn't as if they didn't have anything to talk about but for whatever reason they simply couldn't bring themselves to be excited; even though few of them had ever been truly close to any of the ghosts save for Nearly Headless Nick.

The teachers eyed them curiously, casting glances at each other along the table. The absence of the spectral residents was felt by them as well, but with no precedent to work with they were at a loss.

"What do you suppose they're doing?" At the Gryffindor table Hermione faced her two closest friends, both sitting across from her, sounding not so much worried as curious.

"What?" Ron asked dumbly, looking up from his plate.

"The ghosts, you mean?" Harry spoke up from beside him.

Hermione nodded. "Well, if they're not here, they've got to have a good reason for it- I doubt any of them would simply leave school grounds unless something terribly important was going on elsewhere."

"Maybe it's someone's deathday," Ron suggested, returning to his meal. "Some bloke's just turned a thousand or something?"

Hermione looked doubtful. "They would have to be awfully important for _every single ghost_ in _all_ of Hogwarts to vanish in the space of one night. No-one's seen any of them since yesterday and I can't imagine someone like Moaning Myrtle would be even remotely interested in celebrating the anniversary of _someone else's_ death."

"It is pretty weird," Harry agreed. He had thought at first, like many of his fellow students, that the disappearing act had something to do with the tournament- a quick glance at the teacher's table told them otherwise. Even Dumbledore appeared vaguely unsettled and it was this more than anything that set the students on edge.

"Well, if there was anything _really_ wrong, Dumbledore would have said something right?" Ron said uncertainly. "He's got to know something."

The others made non-committal sounds and made a half-hearted effort to finish their meals, unaware that they would have their answers sooner than they thought.

That night, the storm raged on. Dark, roiling clouds rumbled overhead, flashes of lightning brightening the sky in strong bursts, rain hammering sharply against the tall windows surrounding the castle. The sound of the howling wind was muffled from within Hogwarts' thick walls, but the sight of the trees of the Forbidden Forest being tossed to and fro in the distance told the residents just how bad an idea it would be to go outside.

Students watched it in near-silence from within the confines of the great hall, marvelling at the display, when suddenly they heard a distant rumble quite unlike anything the weather had produced. It was deep and rumbling, and somehow... ecstatic?

Confusion rose in tandem with the volume of the noise, and just as people were beginning to cover their ears, the room exploded in a display of colour and movement- ghosts rushed the great hall from all sides, filling the space with translucent bodies twisting and turning in what appeared to be a mid-air dance. Shouts of joy echoed about, straight from the many mouths of the Hogwarts ghosts, whose cheeks ran silver with tears.

Many cried out in shock and surprise, and Harry could swear he'd seen a first-year faint, but no-one could raise their voice loud enough to be heard to ask what exactly was going on. As a particularly large ghost with a ruff twice the width of her person ascended from the mob and began to shout, it turned out they wouldn't have to.

"THE GHOST KING IS DEFEATED!" she declared in a thunderous shout, and there was a responding roar from her audience.

"THE GREAT ONE, THE GHOST BOY, THE HALFA! DANNY PHANTOM CONTRONTED PARIAH DARK AND THREW HIM BACK! HE STOLE THE CROWN OF FIRE FROM THE KING'S HEAD AND LOCKED HIM IN THE SARCOPHAGUS OF FOREVER SLEEP! DANNY PHANTOM HAS SAVED US FROM OUR ENEMY'S WRATH! DANNY PHANTOM IS THE SAVIOUR OF THE GHOST REALM!"

The clamour rose to deafening proportions and as they found themselves cheering with the ghosts for reasons they knew not, the people of Hogwarts knew they wouldn't be sleeping that night. Frowning in puzzled delight, Dumbledore sent his students to bed and made the appropriate arrangements for what must clearly be a momentous occasion- classes were cancelled the next day, and rightly so, for all were tired and the ghosts' echoing cheers did not quieten until well into the afternoon. It was at a great feast that night that the ghosts of Hogwarts were quiet, all gathered in the hall well above their charges, listening intently as the widely-ruffed ghost relayed to them the full tale of Danny Phantom and the ghostly tyrant Pariah Dark.

The story was told intimately and with passion, hours passing like minutes as she detailed the ghost boy's life- his arrival two years earlier, his spreading fame as a protector of his undisclosed human haunt and his willingness to eventually risk his very existence for the sake of his ghostly brethren. She went on until she could speak no more of the ghost boy and his heroic deeds and then, one by one, they exited the hall.

People at Hogwarts spoke of Danny Phantom for days, but no longer. The Triwizard Tournament was looming ever closer and talk quickly turned from the unknown entity's heroic exploits to speculation as to the nature of the foreign students that would soon be there. The name Danny Phantom remained ever in the minds and the hearts of the ghosts but faded from those of the humans, save but a few, and the ghost boy himself lived in peace for almost a year.

Now, ten months later, Danny Phantom, legendary halfa, saviour of the Ghost Zone and renowned hero of Amity Park, was late for school.

"Come on, come _on_," he muttered, stifling a yawn. His eyes flicked to and fro, searching the busy city street for any sign of his elusive attacker. He clutched his Fenton Thermos in both hands, thumb resting comfortably against the button that would end this chase once and for all.

Suddenly, he felt a faint chill from behind him and he spun around. There, floating just a few metres above himself, was the ectopus he'd been chasing for a little over an hour now. It wasn't powerful and it hadn't given him much injury, but it had scared the citizens of Amity Park enough to be declared a menace. Unfortunately, where it lacked strength, it had speed. Danny had only just adjusted to the ghost's movements and managed to match it but if he didn't catch it now he was starting to think he might have to give up the chase. Multiple ghost attacks had kept him up most of the night, leaving him with little more than an hour's sleep before the ghost had dragged him all the way across town- _twice_. He was running out of energy fast, but thankfully, as the creature screeched and wiggled its tentacles in preparation for flight, Danny took his chance and activated the thermos. The creature was unable to escape the glowing blue vortex that enveloped it, and was quickly caught inside.

"Finally," he groaned. _'Now I'll just put this back in the Ghost Zone and then I'll only be...'_ he checked his watch, _'... forty minutes late for Lancer's class. Great.'_ Luckily, with his parents out at a conference for the day, using the portal wouldn't hold the risk it usually did. He moved as quickly as he was able- invisible, to avoid the civilians that were starting to arrive on the scene, anxious to catch a glimpse of their hero- and soon found himself standing back in his parent's lab. After ejecting the ectopus and making sure the thermos was completely empty, he bit his lip and chanced a glance at the clock.

"Nine o' clock!" he exclaimed in dismay. "Ugh!" Burying his face in his hands, he rubbed furiously at his eyes. _'It's okay,'_ he told himself firmly. _'It's okay, Lancer will just... give you detention... or something. It's nothing you haven't been through before.'_ Lowering his hands, he transformed and pulled his phone out of his pocket, finding a series of missed calls and unread texts from both Sam and Tucker. Smiling wryly, he speed-dialled Sam's number.

She answered within seconds. "Danny, where are you?! You do realise you missed _all_ of first period, right? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Sam, I'm fine," he replied tiredly. At her noise of disbelief, his smile widened. "Really! It was just an ectopus, but it was crazy fast for some reason and I barely slept last night... I guess I kinda lost track of time while I was chasing it. It didn't hurt me, I'm fine. Just... exhausted."

There was a moment of silence, then a sigh on the other end. "Well, be careful, okay?"

"I'll get there as soon as I can. If I don't make it, I'm either fighting ghosts or I've fallen asleep mid-flight."

Danny heart a faint voice in the background and laughed when he heard a yelp of pain. "Sorry," Sam said, "Tucker's just being a moron."

"What, like that's unusual?"

Sam laughed and Danny heard the faint voice speak up before another yelp reached his ears. Grinning hugely, Danny bid Sam goodbye and hung up, shoving his phone in his pocket before transforming again and running a hand through his dishevelled hair. Glancing one last time at the ghost portal, Danny checked the thermos was firmly strapped to his back and took off, heading straight for Casper High.

He was halfway there when a familar chill crept down his spine. Staring at the blue mist that had escaped his mouth, Danny fought the urge to facepalm.

"What _now_?!" he near-shouted, startling a group of citizens below him. "Come on, who's here?"

Several minutes passed with no response, and Danny was growing more frustrated by the second. He was just about to call again when an unexpected voice sounded from directly behind him.

"BEWARE!"

"AUGH!"

Danny yelled in shock and anger, spinning around to face the Box Ghost, who was looking at him in ill-disguised glee. Curling into a ball, Danny hid his face with his hands.

"Are you _serious_?!" he moaned, his voice muffled by his palms. Snapping himself open, Danny grabbed the Box Ghost by the front of his trousers before he could react, pressing his face so close that their noses almost touched.

"I don't have the time or the energy to deal with you right now," Danny told him tiredly. "Now are you just going to go back to the Ghost Zone, or am I going to have to assist you?"

"The Box Ghost needs no assistance!" the Box Ghost declared haughtily. "For I am here to unleash a new weapon that will surely defeat the likes of _you_, Danny Phantom!"

"Oh?" Danny prompted as he released the ghost and took hold of his thermos.

"Yes! For you see I, the Box Ghost, was exploring what the humans refer to as a _ware-house_, and what should I find..." he trailed off, raising an eyebrow deviously as he reached into a pocket. "What should I find, but THIS!"

Whipping his hand out, the Box Ghost tossed something in Danny's direction, which was caught easily. Staring at the object now in his hand, Danny narrowed his eyes.

". . . A Rubik's cube?"

"WRONG!" the Box Ghost exclaimed, snatching it back. "It is not, as you say, the _Cube of Rubik's_! It is a _DOOMIX BOX!_ _AND IT WILL BE YOUR DOOM!_"

"Look, I don't-"

"BEWARE!"

Danny deftly caught the cube again and tossed it back.

"I really need to get to school, so I'm just going to put you in here for a while," he gestured to the thermos, "and I'll deal with you when I get home, okay?"

"THE BOX GHOST CANNOT BE HELD WITHIN THE CONFINES OF A _CYLINDRICAL _CONTAINER!"

"Yeah, you've said that." Danny activated the thermos and, despite his words, after a quick struggle the Box Ghost was soon trapped inside. Placing the lid back on and strapping the thermos to his back, Danny resumed his flight. "But that's never really been true, has it?"

Far below, a shabbily-dressed man watched him in shock until he had disappeared from sight.

. . .

"Hey, Tuck."

"Whoah, what attacked you?"

Danny groaned and let his forehead fall against his locker. "What _hasn't_ attacked me? Last night I had to deal with the Box Ghost, Skulker, a few shapeless blobs, the Box Ghost again, a swarm of ghost rats, Valerie and the Box Ghost _again!_ Pretty sure I didn't even get an hour of sleep before I had to get up to say bye to mom and dad and have the living room half-destroyed by a howling eight-tentacled _prick _before an hour-long wild goose chase across Amity Park." His stomach growled loudly and he frowned. "Come to think of it, I don't think I had breakfast."

"I gotcha covered."

Danny turned at the sound of Sam's voice, breaking out into a relieved grin at the sight of the Nasty Burger-branded bag in her hands.

"I was wondering where you were," Danny replied, reaching into the bag and pulling out a burger. "Sweet, this is my favourite."

"I know," Sam said triumphantly. Then her expression fell and she crossed her arms. "I had it delivered during the break between first and second period, since I figured you wouldn't have had anything to eat. I was just getting it from my locker."

Tucker frowned. "Nasty Burger doesn't deliver!"

"They do for me. But that's beside the point- what happened? Did another ghost attack? When you called it sounded like you had things pretty under control."

"Yeah, but it wasn't anything to worry about. Just the Box Ghost again. I don't even know how he does it, I _know_ he's not using the portal half the time, but there aren't enough naturally-occurring portals to explain how he's here so often! It doesn't make sense!" Danny took a huge bite of his burger before stuffing it back into the bag and into his locker as the bell rang for third period. Swallowing with difficulty, he continued as they made their way towards the next class. "But anyway, he wasn't really a big deal- he's discovered Rubik's Cubes apparently. He's in the thermos now, I didn't think I had time to fly back and put him in the Ghost Zone, but then I just kind of... spaced out. I think I fell asleep on top of a building for almost an hour before I woke up and remembered I had to be here. Sorry for making you worry, you guys," he added a little guiltily.

"I'm just glad you called, otherwise I would have been _really_ worried," Sam said, giving him a small smile. "But next time you're experiencing night terrors, tell us. If we were there, we might have been able to deal with everything sooner."

"Yeah, man," Tucker pitched in. "You know we're cool with that, right?"

"Thanks guys," Danny said, stifling a yawn. "I know I might not look it at the moment, but I'm really grateful."

"Well, we've got Lancer next. Again. He's usually okay with you sleeping in class." Tucker paused. "Well, he's stopped making such a huge fuss over it anyway. Since you picked up your grades."

Danny nodded and the trio were silent the rest of the way.

. . .

On the other side of town, the shabbily-dressed man considered what he'd seen.

Remus Lupin had been sent to Amity Park on a mission- a mission based largely on the babbling of a centuries-old ghost with a ruff wider than her person whose memory was well-known to be biased and, in general, off the hook. Needless to say, he had viewed his chances of success as slim at best. When he'd made it to America, tired and in a state of confusion after the ordeal that had been getting permission for inter-continental travel at the Ministy of Magic, he had been half-tempted to simply go back home. Of course, this was before he'd made it to the town itself.

Amity Park was unlike any place he'd ever been to, and with good reason. The town was literally buzzing with energy; he could feel it coursing through his very being, the evidence of supernatural activity that assured him of the certainty of the truth in the ghost's words even before he first caught sight of the spectral beings haunting it. The sensation had been simultaneously relieving and unnerving, for there was an undercurrent to it that would have gone unnoticed by many others.

There was _magic_ here- untrained magic, too. And it made his mission all the more important. For the Order, he would contact Phantom- and for the wizarding world, he would find the untrained magic-users that lived here, and offer them an education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry- technically not something he had the permission to offer, but he did not doubt for a second that Dumbledore would not object to it.

Amity Park was what the wizarding world commonly referred to as "no-man's land". It was a place that was simultaneously defined and alienated by its ties to the supernatural, which had it feared by muggles and wizards alike. The muggle fear was self-explanatory- but the wizarding world's fear was of a matter slightly more complicated.

Amity park was host to the largest concentration of spectral energy of anywhere in the world, for reasons that were, as of yet, unknown. It would surely be a delight if not for the fact that, after it was proven that the spectral energy had no relation to magic whatsoever, the wizarding community had voted unanimously in favour of cutting off all ties to the town upon the discovery of the full extent of the energy thirty years ago. A little over ten years later the people of the American Ministry concluded that they were unable to find a way to control the energy itself, so they resorted to separating themselves from it, and the rest of the worlds' Ministries followed suit. Any attempt at involvement with the strange happenings at Amity Park would surely risk revealing the wizarding world and all of its people and no number of memory-wiping spells could truly fix the damage of it. Unfortunately this meant, as Remus had just discovered, that whatever witches and wizards were born within the confines of the town went unnoticed and untrained, which was just as dangerous.

He made a mental note to discuss plans with Dumbledore to host regular visits to the town in search of potential students, but for now, that would have to wait.

Until recently, no-one had found reason to visit Amity Park and the place had been left untended by the magical world since its abandonment. That was until the incident ten months ago, when the ghosts of Hogwarts had revealed a familiarity with the ghosts of Amity Park that had gone largely unknown before then; revealing not only a connection between the town and the magical world but, as the Order suspected, a potential source of allies.

Remus was on a mission- a mission to find a ghostly hero by the name of Danny Phantom- and if what the so-called "Box Ghost" had been shouting was true, he may have already found him.

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**Thanks for reading!**

So, this is simultaneously my first DP fic AND my first HP fic, so reviews are VERY appreciated! If you have any issues to bring up or constructive criticism to provide, feel free to add that or send me a PM about it- the HP lexicon has a very convenient set of timelines which I'll try my best to stick to, but please note that seeing as this is a crossover and there will be outside involvement, there will have to be some changes. A LOT of changes. But if something seems too wrong, feel free to ask me about it :3

Readers of my ROTG fic Permafrost should remain assured that the fic is NOT discontinued, just on hiatus for now!

Readers of THIS fic should become assured that I aim to update this fic as regularly as possible! I'm really enjoying writing it, so expect another chapter within the next two weeks or so ^-^

Until next time~ :D


	2. Chapter 2- To Beg for a Haunting

**What an amazing response!**

Thank you all so much for all your amazing reviews, and for all the follows and favourites!

Enjoy!

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**Chapter Two- To Beg for a Haunting**

If it hadn't already been known as the locus of spectral energy, Remus would suggest that Amity Park be renowned for its excellent motels. On a limited budget he had only been able to afford the cheapest room at the cheapest establishment and still he was provided with a wonderfully comfortable bed, the cleanest bathroom he'd ever seen, a small kitchen and a tiny television affixed to the wall. It was a short walk to the centre of town, and the service was friendly and enthusiastic.

He suspected they were desperate for tourists.

He slept very well, but upon first setting out to gather more information on Amity Park's resident ghostly hero the next morning, Remus experienced a near-overwhelming sense of anxiety. The idea of discussing ghosts with strangers was absurd on its own- but with muggles? His sense of self-preservation was fighting valiantly against it. It was with a wildly-beating heart that he approached the young man at the reception desk of the hotel, offering a shaky smile before leaning as casually as he could manage against the tabletop, casting a glance at the small nametag pinned proudly to the boy's chest.

'_Hello! My name is Ryan!'_ it read in neatly-printed letters.

Remus swallowed nervously.

"Good morning, sir!" Ryan said cheerfully. "What can I do for you today?"

"Erm- I was hoping if it were at all possible for you to tell me-" Remus hesitated, steeled himself, and ploughed on. If worst came to worst, a quick memory wipe would hopefully solve any issues. "I was hoping if you could tell me where I might best get information on gho-"

"Ghosts?" Ryan interrupted with a grin. "Sure thing! We don't often get tourists here, but when we do, they're almost always after a glimpse of one! It's just about the only thing that makes our town unique, actually," he added, his cheer fading slightly. "We try our best to encourage visitors to come here, but the ghosts are our best bet and most people are scared off by 'em... But like I said, it means that when people _do_ come, we know what they're here for! You can ask just about anyone on the street about ghosts and they'll be happy to tell you what they know- or the Fentons, Amity Park's leading ghost experts, are always willing to share their knowledge with anyone who asks- they can usually be found at their home, Fenton Works- located just north of here, you'll know it when you see it- but just a bit of a tip" he lowered his voice conspiratorially, "you wouldn't happen to be looking to catch a glimpse of Danny Phantom, would you?"

Remus did his best not to look stunned. "Yes, actually," he mumbled absently.

Ryan's smile widened and he leaned closer. "I've heard that he likes to hang out in the park sometimes- just by himself, at night. People have seen him there, and some of my friends say they've even talked to him- he's a real friendly guy if you can catch him when he's not fighting which is, like, almost _never!_ Good luck though! If you manage to snag a conversation with him, let me know!"

"Will do. Thank you for the information," Remus said sincerely. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out his wallet, fiddling with the paper money inside. "Now, erm- I'm not entirely sure how this works, but..." he placed a ten-dollar note on the desk. "Thanks again."

Tuning out the boy's enthusiastic thanks, Remus strolled out the door and considered his situation.

As far as he was aware, the task of finding Phantom was made much easier with the knowledge that, despite his previous misgivings, Remus truly would be able to discuss ghosts with the general public, as far-fetched as the idea might sound to a member of the wizarding community. The problem would be finding a way to get Phantom to talk to him. If Ryan was correct, Phantom was a friendly person and would be willing to hear what Remus had to say. It was all Remus could do to hope the ghost wasn't secretly malevolent.

. . .

"Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer called suddenly. "A word, if I may?"

Danny halted halfway out the room, turning back to look at his teacher. He nodded, gesturing to Sam and Tucker to go on without him, and walked to stand in front of Lancer's desk.

"Yes sir?" he asked, struggling to hide the fatigue in his voice. Yet another sleepless night had him swaying on his feet, even if, as promised, Sam and Tucker were both there to help him this time. It didn't help that he'd had to spend the previous afternoon fixing the mess in the living room the ectopus made- by the time he was done, he'd been damn near to collapsing, despite the fact that he'd pretty much slept through the entirety of school.

He'd done the same today, so it wasn't hard to figure out what Lancer wanted to speak to him about.

Mr. Lancer sighed and folded his hands on his desk, his brow creased in a worried frown. "Danny, I need to talk to you about your most recent behaviour at school."

"Recent?" Danny smirked tiredly.

Lancer didn't seem amused. If anything, he seemed even more troubled. "While I can agree with you that this isn't anything new, you _have_ managed to prove yourself capable of keeping up with schoolwork even if you aren't doing the work at school. What I'm more concerned about is the fact that you look like you're about to faint. Have you been sleeping well?"

"No," Danny replied truthfully. Sighing, he anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, I know you're worried, and I appreciate that, but... I'm fine. Well, I will be. I had a problem, but I know how to handle it now, so... I'll be fine."

Lancer regarded him seriously for a moment; Danny squirmed under his gaze, eyes flicking to the door, where he could see Sam and Tucker waiting for him. Finally, Lancer nodded and leaned back in his chair.

"I'll hold you to that, Daniel. Are your parents home?"

"Uh, no. They went to some ghost hunting conference yesterday and they met some interesting people, so they're staying for a while to check out their research. I think they're coming back tomorrow."

"And your sister?"

"She's home, but she's sorting out college stuff."

"I see." Mr. Lancer looked to the hall outside and smiled when he caught a glimpse of Danny's friends casting surreptitious peeks inside. "Well, I won't hold you here any longer. Enjoy your afternoon, Mr. Fenton. Good luck."

Danny nodded, anxious to leave. He caught up with Sam and Tucker and the three left, trudging quietly towards Sam's house. No-one spoke until they rounded a distant corner and the school vanished from sight.

"So, were you just saying you could handle it to get Lancer off your case, or...?" Sam trailed off, looking at her friend from the corner of her eye.

Danny grimaced, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah, kinda. I _had_ an idea, but I've got no idea whether or not it would work, so..."

"Why? What was it?"

Danny hesitated, then shook his head. "I was going to talk to Valerie."

"What?!" Sam exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of several passers-by. "Are you out of your mind?" she continued in a furious whisper.

"Yeah dude, you'd have an easier time trying to convince the Lunch Lady to turn vegan," Tucker laughed.

"Guys, you don't understand- she's been acting really weird since that whole thing with Danielle. She's still attacking me, but it's like... It's like she's not even trying."

"Good," Sam said firmly.

"Yeah sure, but she's just..." Danny sighed in frustration. "I don't know how to explain it. I think she might have been really shaken up, but I can't figure out _why_. She seemed pretty happy after we saw Dani off, but the next time we saw each other, she just flew away, and since then whenever she saw me, it's like she was just putting on a show of going after me. I _know_ she was missing on purpose."

"Maybe you're just getting too good for her to keep up."

Danny smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know I've gotten better, but I'm not good enough to avoid _all_ her shots yet. Not usually, anyway. Even at school, she seems really preoccupied and I'm getting kind of worried. Besides," he added, "if I work out what's got her so distracted, I might be able to get her to help me out whenever stuff like this happens. I can only fight so well on an hour's sleep."

"What about Jazz? We could ask her to help out a bit. You know she'd be happy to."

Danny contemplated the idea for a moment, then sighed, shaking his head. "She's already got enough going on, I don't want her piling ghost attacks and zero sleep on top of dealing with college and moving out and everything. Besides, these swarms never last long- give 'em two days of being repeatedly beaten to a pulp and sent straight back to the Ghost Zone and they usually leave me alone for a month or two after that. Well, you know. Kind of. They bring the attacks back to two or three a day, anyway. _That_ I can handle."

"Yeah," Tucker agreed, flashing a smile. "But Sam's probably right, Danny. I'd hold off on the Valerie situation for now- if she _really_ needs help, she'll probably come to you anyway. School's almost over- by the time the holidays roll around you won't have to worry about sleeping in class any more, right?"

"I guess... If I can sleep at _all,_" Danny muttered.

"Ah- ssh," Sam whispered urgently as they approached the front steps of the Manson residence. Falling silent, Danny and Tucker followed her carefully as she crept forward and opened the door, peering in. After a moment she turned back, nodded to them and they entered, hearing the door shut behind them with a quiet click. Years of practice assisted them in making absolutely no noise as they made their way up to her room, piling inside one-by-one, taking solace in the familiarity of its dark embrace. It was only when Sam had slid her lock into place that she relaxed, collapsing on her bed and sighing heavily in relief.

"Sorry," she said, voice muffled by her pillow. "My parents have been on my case more than usual lately about trying to get me to wear _pink lacy dresses_." She spat the last few words in disgust, rolling over to cast a disdainful look at her friends. "If this keeps up when school ends, I don't know if I'll be able to survive."

The others laughed, the three falling into a comfortable lull. Tucker seated himself at Sam's desk while Danny laid back on the floor, relishing the first moment of peace they'd gotten together for days.

"Mind if I sleep here a while?" Danny asked softly, eyes closed, mind going blank. He barely registered Sam's words before he was out.

. . .

The more people he talked to, the more Remus came to realize how truly pathetic the amount of knowledge the wizarding world had on Amity Park's ghosts was. Even with little more than a day's notice in regards to his task he had been able to read up on everything wizards had to say on the subject; a woman he met five minutes into his search had been able to tell him more than all the books he'd looked at altogether. Over the course of the day he had learned all about Amity Park's most famous ghosts, in particular the very spectre with whom he most wanted to speak.

It seemed that there was no other subject the people agreed more on than their resident hero. Everyone was willing to speak at length on the ghost boy's daring exploits, and with some enthusiasm too. Though few of them had ever met him personally, those who had gushed about him with glee, elated beyond measure when Remus expressed genuine interest in what they had to say.

To be truthful, he was both a little disappointed and relieved that he was not witness to a ghost fight first-hand. From what he was told it was a thrilling and terrifying sight- and though he needed to know as much as possible for the sake of the Order, he wasn't sure he wanted to find out with the threat of becoming a ghost himself hanging over him. Unfortunately, from the sounds of it, he would have to seek one out before long if he ever wanted to meet Phantom personally; though many claimed that he did indeed haunt the local park some nights, others were adamant that he preferred the cinema, the overlook, or the Fenton family's roof- which was a little hard to believe given that they were supposedly not very fond of each other at all. Wherever the ghost child was, Remus hoped he could find him quickly- time was short, and Dumbledore needed allies.

It was late in the afternoon when he finally decided to head to Fenton Works, which didn't take him long to find. True to Ryan's word, the place really was impossible to miss, given the giant metal structure atop the building. Staring at it from across the street, he had to wonder whether the Fenton household was home to anyone of magical ability- he had seen muggles create some amazing structures in the past, but this went beyond anything gravity could handle by itself. He gazed at it for a moment longer before heading for the front door, raising his fist. After one last nervous glance upwards, he knocked and took a step back.

Whatever he'd expected from his first encounter with the Fentons, a tall young woman wearing sensible clothes and a polite smile wasn't it.

"Good afternoon, sir," she greeted brightly, albeit a little wearily. "How can I help you?"

"... This _is_ the Fenton residence, isn't it?" he asked cautiously, wondering if perhaps the townspeople had been playing some sort of trick. From their descriptions, he'd been prepared to deal with strange lunatics in jumpsuits who were as mad as they were clever- the girl before him hardly met the description.

His fears were allayed when her smile widened and she nodded. "You're not from Amity Park, I can see. I can guess what happened- you asked for the Fentons and you were told to look for weirdos in jumpsuits rambling about ghosts, am I right?"

Remus couldn't help but chuckle. "In pretty much those words exactly," he admitted. Straightening his coat, he cleared his throat. "I'm here looking for information on Amity Park's ghosts- I've gathered quite a lot from the populace, but I'd like very much to hear what the local experts have to say- ghosts seem to be a bit of a tricky subject from person to person."

"Hmm." The girl pursed her lips in thought, crossing her arms. After a minute's deliberation she nodded and took a step back, holding the door open.

"My parents aren't here at the moment, but I can give you basic information concerning spectral energy and ghosts themselves, and a lot more on the theory of ghosts and the psychological aspect of their being. My parents might by Amity Park's leading ghost experts, but they can be hard-pressed to talk about anything other than the technological aspect of ghost theory for more than five minutes."

"Why is that? If you don't mind me asking," Remus added as he stepped inside, admiring the interior. It was odd how much larger the place appeared on the inside- and he couldn't help but feel that there was more to it than met the eye.

The girl paused. "They're... They can be stubborn when it comes to ghost theory. You could debate with them for hours about a ghost's composition, whether or not a ghost can fuse with foreign material, or even the possibilities of using ectoplasm as a facial scrub- but try to suggest a ghost might have feelings and you've lost them. Usually it's not such a bad thing- the ghosts who _do_ feel don't even bother trying to say anything about it any more, and those of us who believe that there's more to some ghosts than just what they're made of are happy to let my parents believe whatever they want for now. I don't doubt that they'll come to realise the truth before long. Would you like something to drink?"

"Yes, that would be lovely," Remus sent her a grateful smile.

The girl nodded. "Just take a seat at the table and I'll be right there- we have juice, coffee, tea and water."

"Tea, please, and thank you."

As the girl filled the kettle and set it to boil, she called over her shoulder. "So then, Mr...?"

"Ah- Lupin. Remus Lupin. My apologies, I can't believe I didn't think to introduce myself."

"It's no problem, Mr. Lupin- my name is Jasmine, but you can call me Jazz." She fetched two large mugs from a cupboard, setting them both on the counter and putting a teabag in each. "Why the interest in ghosts?" she asked curiously. "Not to seem rude, but you're _very_ different to most of the people we get asking about them here- mostly nutjobs," she added in a low voice.

Remus laughed. "I imagine that must get tiresome after a while."

"Ugh, try _exhausting_. Trying to get through high school, get to a good college, having to deal with mom and dad's antics _and_ having crackpots show up at our door every other week?" She shivered. "And when I'm gone, poor Danny will have to deal with it all by himself..."

Her voice fell and she trailed off, and when Remus turned away from examining the rest of the kitchen to look at her, he noticed a small frown.

"Danny?" he asked curiously.

"My brother," she explained. "He's never really been one for dealing with mom and dad's ghost hunting, but of course they try to drag him into it as much as possible. I've been able to spare him as much as I can, but who knows what he'll have to put up with after I've gone to college. But anyway, like I was saying- why the interest in ghosts?"

"Well, I used to be a professor at a selective school in Scotland- since finding employment elsewhere I've managed to stay in touch with the headmaster there, and he has me pursue his interests for him from time to time. He's an incredibly busy man, and I'm not so busy nowadays, so I don't mind it. If anything, it gives me the perfect chance to call myself worldly."

"Sounds like fun." Jazz set his tea before him, as well as a spoon and a cup of sugar, and took the seat opposite him. "And I take it his latest fascination is ghosts?"

"One in particular," Remus said, regarding her with new-found interest. The moment she'd sat down he'd felt something from her- a faint undercurrent of something vague and yet incredibly familiar. "I would imagine you are familiar with the ghost boy Danny Phantom, yes?" _'This may explain why the house hasn't been crushed under the weight of the monstrosity atop it. I'll test her for magic after I've learned all I can about Phantom_.'

Jazz broke out into a wide grin in which Remus could see recognition, excitement and, surprisingly, pride. "Who in this town isn't? He's a hero- that is, if you ask anyone but my parents."

"They don't see him that way?" he asked in shock. "But from what I've heard-"

"It doesn't matter what you've heard," Jazz sighed. "When he first appeared he... He did some pretty terrible things." She hesitated briefly before continuing. "None of which we really know the reason for. But since then he's protected us- night and day, he's fighting off any and all threats to Amity Park- the world, even! _Everyone_ sees him as a hero except for my parents. They just can't let those first few mistakes go."

"Mistakes?"

"I find it highly unlikely that anything he did then was on purpose. I firmly believe that those things he did- he didn't mean to do them. Call me biased, but I really think he's great." She shook her head and drank a little of her tea, staring into her mug and breathing deeply. "What was it you wanted to know about him?"

"Well, to be honest, this may take a while..."

"Take all the time you need. My brother's probably at one of his friends' houses- he won't show up until dinnertime at the earliest."

"And you?"

"I could use a break. Ask away."

* * *

**Thanks for reading!  
**

Okay, a few notes responding to some questions asked. No, Danny is not the Ghost King, not in this fic at least, and no, there will not be any outright romance. I personally ship DxS, so there's a chance that it might come up in small doses every now and then, but I'd prefer to keep romance out of the main plot- not to say you're not welcome to ship whoever you want :3

As for the matter of who will be going to Hogwarts, I'm afraid I'm going to have to keep quiet about that one~

This chapter was originally going to be a lot longer, but in the end it seemed more appropriate to keep it around the same length as the previous one- and it seems to have worked out well in terms of timing, too. Plus it means that the next chapter is mostly finished ;)

Let me know what you think- reviews are greatly appreciated, as well as constructive criticism- and feel free to send me a PM. If all goes as planned, I'll have the next chapter up same time next week.

Again, thank you all so much for the feedback- I feel honoured ;A;

Until next time! ^-^


	3. Chapter 3- Harrowing

**Thank you to everyone who followed/ favourited/ reviewed since the last chapter!**

Enjoy~ :3

* * *

**Chapter Three- Harrowing**

By the time they were done the sky outside was beginning to turn dark and Remus was in a state of disbelief. He had heard bits and pieces regarding the so-called "ghost zone" from the people of Amity Park, but to think that there might be a permanent gateway to it _right here_ in the basement of the Fenton's house- he could hardly believe it. Not to mention all that he'd learned of Phantom. All that the people of Amity Park had told him of the hero paled in comparison to Jazz's reverent words, leaving him more anxious than ever to meet the boy himself. From the sound of it he would be an incredible asset to the Order if he agreed to help them; the trouble was knowing whether or not he'd be willing- or even able- to leave Amity Park behind. He suspected it was something he'd need to ask Phantom himself. Jazz had quickly proven herself to be vastly intelligent for her age and it was all too likely that she'd grow suspicious at the overly-specific question.

She'd just finished describing to him the tale of how Danny Phantom single-handedly fought off a plant-like ghost possessing the entire town and the two sat in a comfortable silence with their hands cupped around their mugs, sipping slowly at their third cup of tea. Several minutes passed as such until, regretfully, Remus found himself getting to the point of the whole venture. He'd enjoyed his discussion with the young woman but he doubted he'd get such a chance to speak to her again, and out of everyone he'd met that day it was her that he trusted most. If anyone knew how to find Phantom it was her.

"Jasmine," he began uncertainly. He'd never quite taken to calling her by her nickname, but Jazz didn't seem to mind. She looked up expectantly. "You wouldn't by any chance have _met_ Phantom before, would you?"

Jazz stilled, gently putting down her mug and folding her hands atop the table. She observed him sharply, eyes darting across his figure- searching for what, he didn't know. A full minute passed and then she nodded slowly, her lips pursed.

"I have," she said quietly. "Why do you ask?"

Remus deliberated how to express his intentions. He could tell Jazz was protective of Phantom- if he presented any sort of threat to his well-being, Remus knew there was no chance of him meeting the ghost boy, possibly ever.

Perhaps he could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.

He took a deep breath, releasing it steadily. "I must admit that I have not been wholly honest with you."

"I know," Jazz said simply, smirking at Remus' astonished expression. "I just haven't been able to figure out how," she added on a more serious note. "You seem like a good person, Mr. Lupin. Why did you feel a need to lie to me about all this?"

"I was never sure you'd believe me," he said honestly. "I shouldn't even be mentioning it to you at all, but... I have a suspicion that you might be involved- more so than you expect."

"Involved in what?" Jazz asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You're not a ghost hunter, are you?"

"Goodness, no!" Remus exclaimed, shaking his head. "No, the reality is... _far_ more unbelievable."

Jazz stiffened as he pulled out his wand, and to his surprise, she didn't relax as he held it before her. He watched her carefully as he placed the wand on the table and it was only after he'd removed his hands and put them in his pockets that she loosened up. His heart sped up at the thought- either she already knew about magic and was playing ignorant, or there was more to this girl than he thought already.

"Do you know what this is?" he asked her, keeping a careful eye on her expression.

Her eyes briefly flicked up to meet his before they fell back to the wand. "No, I don't. But given the way you're behaving, I'm guessing it's powerful."

"It's not so much the object that is powerful," Remus corrected, "but what I can do with it. What people _like me_ can do with it. You have heard of magic, haven't you?"

Jazz frowned, folding her arms. She pursed her lips and looked between him and the object on the table, brows coming together in a tight frown. "You're saying you're a wizard," she concluded eventually. "And that's your wand."

"I'm not surprised you picked up on what I was saying so quickly."

"Of course not," she said shortly. "And your proof?"

"If you'll let me, I can show you some magic," Remus offered. "Something simple."

She stared at him for a long moment, then gave him a small nod. "Something simple," she repeated.

Moving deliberately, Remus picked up his wand and muttered under his breath.

"_Lumos_."

Instantly the tip of his wand lit up, casting Jazz's stunned features in a bright glow. After a few seconds she frowned again, looked back up at him, and Remus spoke again.

"_Nox._"

The light went out and Jazz leaned forward.

"Show me something else. For all I know you're holding a light-up toy that responds to vocal commands. I may be more open to this stuff since finding out about ghosts, but I'm going to need more proof than that."

"I expected no less," Remus nodded, giving her a genuine smile. "Would making an object float suffice? If not that, I can give you an example of transfiguration- but afterwards I have a request."

"Hmmm..." Jazz cast her gaze about the room, eyes scanning the area before finally coming back to the mug in front of her. Picking it up, she held it out to him. "Make this float," she commanded, not unkindly. "If you can make this float, I'll believe you."

Remus blinked. "So quickly?"

"It took me sixteen years of my life to realise ghosts were real because I didn't believe something like that could be happening right under my nose. I don't plan on making that kind of mistake again."

"_Wingardium leviosa_."

Despite her words Jazz gasped when the mug was tugged from her hands, the object floating towards the ceiling in line with the tip of Remus' wand. He let it hang there for a while, spinning lazily in circles, before lowering it towards Jazz again, letting her take hold of it. The girl marvelled as gravity once again took hold of the mug and she almost dropped it- luckily she managed to catch it and, with a breathless laugh, place it back on the table.

"That's amazing," she breathed. "Absolutely incredible."

"Indeed," Remus agreed, smiling at her enthusiasm. "And the reason I tell you this, Jasmine, is because I believe you might be a witch yourself."

Jazz's eyes widened. "Me?!"

"Yes."

"But- but I've never- I don't- ugh!" she gestured helplessly. "I've never done anything _remotely_ magical in my life!"

"I'm not so sure about that," Remus said gently. "On my way here I couldn't help but notice the large... _structure_ atop your house."

"The OP centre. Yeah?"

"How on _earth_ does that thing not crush the building? Your parents must be geniuses indeed if they can manage to defy gravity with nothing but muggle technology- either that or this "OP centre" is lighter than it looks."

"No, it's... I always thought that was weird..." Jazz trailed off, looking down. "But I can't remember ever having anything to do with it."

"Under-age magic is largely unconscious- I suspect it might be your influence that it holding up the OP centre, but of course I haven't administered the test yet so this is all conjecture." He stood from his chair, walked around the table to stand beside her and held out his wand.

A puzzled look came across her face and she took it gingerly, holding by the tips of her fingers. "What... what do I do? Do I just... wave it?"

"If you want. You could also try casting a basic spell," he paused, then smiled wryly. "The second option would probably be safer given that you are untrained and this wand isn't fit for you- I doubt your parents would be too happy with returning home to find half the kitchen in ruins."

"Oh I wouldn't worry about that, it happens all the time," she said dismissively, but she could not hide the nervousness in her voice. Her hand was visibly shaking, her eyes wide as she stared at the thing in her hold. "What spell should I cast?"

"Try the one I used earlier- _lumos_. It's fairly basic and won't do any damage."

Jazz nodded, took several deep breaths, steeled herself and murmured; "_Lumos_."

The wand's tip flared with a brilliant glow and Jazz shrieked, dropping it on the floor. She was silent for a moment but as Remus bent down to pick it up she dissolved into high-pitched laughter.

"I can't believe it!" she cried through it. "Oh my _god_!" Gasping, she ran her hands through her long hair, beaming. "This is _incredible_! What-" she broke off, her joy fading a little. "What does this mean? What do I do now?" She sagged in her chair. "What does this have to do with Phantom?"

Sliding his wand back into his pocket, Remus took his seat once again, resting his chin on his hands. "This may take a while," he warned, glancing at the clock.

Jazz bit her lip, doing the same. "Well..." she began uncertainly. A few minutes passed before she seemed to make her decision. "Let me call my brother," she said, "and tell him to come back here. I'd like you to test him for magic as well."

Remus felt a twinge of anxiety, but he wasn't sure why. "You think he may have magic?"

"Yes," she replied firmly. "And besides, if this explanation is so long, it would save time if Danny was here for it. Especially if it turns out that he _is_ a wizard."

Remus thought for a moment. Given that Jazz had been proven to be a witch, it was a given that he was obligated to tell her closest family members about the wizarding world so he didn't see the harm in complying. He became aware of Jazz watching him closely and he quickly nodded. "Call Daniel and when he gets here, I'll have him attempt to cast a spell and whether or not he succeeds I'll tell the both of you everything I can about the world of magic."

Jazz jumped up from her chair and hurried to the phone, dialling Danny's number as quickly as she could. A brief, harried conversation followed, after which she returned to her position, keeping her head turned and an eye on the door.

"He'll be here soon- he was on his way back when I called anyway."

Remus nodded and, sure enough, when the door opened not five minutes later there stood a young boy with a bag slung over his shoulder. He looked, for lack of a better description, _atrocious_. His hair was all over the place, his stance slumped and shaking and there were dark shadows beneath his half-lidded eyes.

"I'm back," he called tiredly as he closed the door and walked to the stairs. Dropping his bag at the base, he turned to face the two other occupants of the house- and it was then that he noticed Remus for the first time. In an instant, his entire presence changed; he straightened, his shaking halted and the bags under his eyes suddenly seemed less pronounced. This was no longer the exhausted teenager that had entered a moment earlier. "Who's this?" he asked slowly, addressing Jazz.

"Danny, this is the guy I told you about over the phone," she replied a little sternly. He had the grace to blush.

"I may or may not have been half-asleep at the time," he mumbled. "So, who? What's this about?"

Remus stood, holding out his hand. "My name is Remus Lupin, and I have quite a lot to discuss with the two of you."

. . .

Danny's rest on Sam's floor had not lasted long. It seemed he had only just closed his eyes before his ghost sense went off and he snapped awake, groaning loudly and rubbing his eyes. He had hoped briefly that it was a mistake- that somehow his ghost powers had malfunctioned and he could simply lay down again and forget the chill had ever passed through him- but a glance at Sam and Tucker's expressions told him everything he needed to know.

He sighed heavily. "I can't ignore this, can I?" he asked in a resigned voice.

His friends were positioned at the window, both of them holding small ecto-guns and wearing matching expressions of sympathy.

"Sorry, Danny," Sam called gently. "We were hoping we could deal with it before it woke you up, but..."

"Sorry dude," Tucker added, walking over to help Danny to his feet.

Danny shook his head, swaying a little and smiling gratefully when Tucker held his arm for support. "It's fine, guys... Who is it this time?"

"Just another formless blob, nothing major- but it's doing a good job of avoiding all our shots."

"Okay... okay." Danny took a moment just to breathe, focusing on keeping himself upright. He let the rings of transformation run over his body and felt himself become a little more invigorated in his ghostly form, taking to the air in an effort to escape the weight of gravity.

He didn't see Sam approach, but he felt her slip her hand in his, pulling him down a little when he began to unconsciously float away.

"If you pull it towards the window, Tucker and I can suck it into a thermos," she offered, tightening her grip. "If that would make things easier..."

"No, no, it's fine, I'll just-" Danny broke off, stifling a yawn. "I'll just grab it and head home... Maybe if I put the ghost shield up I'll be able to get a couple hours' sleep at least," he added hopefully.

"We'll call if anything else comes up," Tucker said with a grin. "But until then, you head on home and catch up on that beauty sleep- you look _terrible_."

"Aw, thanks Tuck," Danny laughed weakly. With one final stretch, he grabbed his bag, waved goodbye to his friends and headed out the window.

As it turned out, the ghost was easier to deal with than he'd expected- either that, or he suspected his perception of time was starting to fall apart. It was probably the latter. With the ghost contained and the thermos strapped to his back, Danny flew into an alley and transformed, wondering how the heck he managed to get halfway across town without his noticing.

'_Maybe I'm starting to hallucinate,'_ he thought, feeling vaguely annoyed. _'I'm starting to think putting the ghost shield up tonight is a better idea than I thought.'_

No sooner had the idea passed him than he heard his phone ring and he jumped, startled by the sudden noise. Feeling annoyed at his reaction he reached into his pocket and pulled the device out, answering a little more harshly than he'd intended.

"What."

"Wow Danny, don't sound so thrilled."

He sagged a little at the sound of Jazz's voice, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry Jazz, I just... I'm really tired. I shouldn't have snapped at you, I'm sorry."

Her voice grew soft. "Ghost attack?"

"Yeah. In the middle of a nap, too."

He started walking towards home, letting his feet carry him while he struggled to focus on the conversation. "So why did you call?" He watched as the lines on the pavement flew by beneath him, one after one, blurring together in a long line of grey defined by the cracks in its surface. He heard Jazz reply, but he was finding it hard to really hear her- he caught only enough of it to know that he was needed.

"Well, I'll be there soon," he said once she'd finished speaking. "I was already on my way anyway, so..."

"Okay. See you soon, little brother."

She hung up and Danny clumsily dropped the phone back into his pocket, letting his mind wander. It was all too soon before he found himself home again, jolted fully awake by the presence of a stranger in his house. Now he sat at the table beside Jazz in stunned silence, all thoughts of sleep long forgotten. He could hardly believe what he was hearing- first ghosts, now magic?

He'd had trouble believing it until Remus had turned one of his textbooks into a small grey mouse, which was currently scurrying across the table. Reaching to pick it up, he cupped it in his hands, holding it close to his chest. The mouse stilled as he stroked its back with his thumb.

It wasn't so much the fact that there was an entire world he didn't know about that threw him off- he'd learned his lesson with that one when he became half-ghost. No, what bothered him was hearing about these so-called "Death Eaters" and their leader, Voldemort. Had the non-magic world truly been so blind to his existence? _How_? Was it really so easy to pass off hundreds of murders as the result of natural disasters- as people simply going missing?

Putting the mouse down, he put his elbows on the table, resting his cheeks on his hands. Remus had told them both everything about the basics of the magical world, but he suspected the man was leaving out more than he let on- particularly about Voldemort and Remus' ex-employer, the man named Dumbledore. But that could wait. For now, he was most interested in the information he'd been given regarding his sister.

Several minutes passed in silence as Danny mulled over everything he'd been told. Finally he sat back, crossed his arms and gave his sister an appraising look.

"So... Jazz the witch, huh?" he asked with a smirk.

Jazz grinned, looking smug. "Yep!" she said proudly.

"With the crystal ball and everything?"

"If she chooses to study Divination, yes," Remus spoke up in amusement. "And she suspects that you yourself might be a wizard."

"What?" Danny straightened, staring at him in disbelief. "No way." He switched back to Jazz. "Why?"

She merely shrugged in response, so Remus spoke in her place. He cleared his throat.

"To be perfectly honest, there are few ways to know for sure without some form of test. Would you be willing to try?"

"I- uh..." Danny swallowed, unsure. "Well... I guess?"

Remus gave him an encouraging smile as he held out his wand. "Just say the word _lumos_, and the wand should emit a bright glow."

Danny stood from his chair and moved closer, but he hesitated upon reaching for it. Something was telling him this was a bad idea, but he couldn't figure why- Remus seemed fairly comfortable, even eager, and Danny had long since learned to recognise hidden malice.

Swallowing, he pushed himself into action, ignoring his misgivings, and took the wand.

"Uh..." He held it just as he'd seen Remus do and felt a shiver run down his spine. It was not pleasant. "Uh- this doesn't feel right..."

"Probably just nerves," Jazz said, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "Go on, move over there and give it a try."

Danny felt his hand begin to tingle and his stomach twist into knots. Was it supposed to feel like this? Was this how magic worked?

He moved to the middle of the room as Jazz had directed and raised his arm, but it felt _wrong_- the wand was heavy in his grip and his palm itched, his mind begging him to release the wand and scratch it. Shaking his head, he flexed his arm and pointed the object forwards.

"_Lumos_," he said clearly.

For a split second, nothing happened. Then suddenly the wand tip flared with a light so bright all three of them had to avert their eyes. Danny cried out in both shock and pain when the wand burned his palm and flew out of his grip and he bent over, reeling as his head began to spin. Cradling his hand close, he fell to his knees, breathing heavily, staying as still as he could.

"Danny!" he heard Jazz cry. "Danny, are you okay? What happened?!" He knew she was talking to Remus now, and he did his best to listen in. He was quickly recovering, but when he unfurled himself with the aim of turning back to Remus, his gaze was instead drawn to his hand, and whatever Remus had been about to say died in his throat.

Danny's hand was glowing. No, not glowing itself- but just above his palm there was a spot of bright acid green light emitting waves of soft light that cast everything in the room in an ethereal glow. Staring at it, he felt panic rise within him. He hadn't used his ghost powers- he was sure of that. But should the light be green? And so strong?

"Wh-what..." he croaked, turning his hand this way and that to see if the light would move. It didn't. It stayed affixed to the point just above his palm, radiating that same vivid green that he was positive wasn't meant to be there.

Finally, Remus moved forward, staring at the light even as he bent to pick up his wand, checking it for marks and feeling only mildly relieved when he found none. The light that had erupted from the tip had vanished, leaving only Danny with the evidence it had ever been there. Heart pounding, he slid it into his pocket and helped Danny to his feet, keeping a steadying hand on the boy's shoulder when he began to sway and tremor. Jazz was by his side in an instant, taking hold of Danny's hand and inspecting it.

She took a deep, shaky breath, and when she released it, she was the very picture of calm.

"Say _nox_," she instructed.

Danny glanced at her, then looked back, and repeated the word in a small voice. The light vanished.

Sighing heavily, Danny shook his hand, relieving it of the tingling feeling the wand had left behind when he'd let go of it, feeling only slightly calmer. It was heartening to know that, given that the light had responded to words of magic, he had indeed not been using his ghost powers. On the other hand, if this truly meant he was a wizard, there was something wrong with his magic.

He felt a sinking feeling inside his chest. _'There's always something wrong with me, isn't there?'_

He heard Jazz speak and shook himself a little, tuning into her words just in time to hear her ask Remus to explain what had happened.

"I... don't know," the man admitted weakly. "I've never, in all my life, seen that happen to anyone. But..." He hesitated, then stepped forward to take Danny's hand, inspecting it for a short moment before releasing it. A thought seemed to occur to him and he looked Danny in the eye, causing the boy to flinch a little at the force of his stare. "Daniel, have you ever been through anything... traumatic?" he asked slowly, his voice low and gentle.

Danny hesitated, caught between not wanting Remus to know too much and his strong desire to know what exactly was happening to him. "I, uh..." He looked anxiously at Jazz who, after a moment, gave him a small nod. Danny's throat went dry. "I- um... Y-yeah, I have..."

He saw a flash of concern in Remus' eyes and he felt himself relax a little, but if anything, his fear grew.

"Sometimes," Remus explained, "a person's magic is deeply affected by things that happen to them over the course of their life. I suspect that whatever happened to you could be the reason for what just happened. Could you tell me about it? We can sit down if you want."

Danny shook his head. If he moved now, he feared he might collapse. "It was about a year and a half ago, I... Mom and dad had just finished the ghost portal, but it wouldn't work. They were _so_ disappointed- it was their life's work and they'd _failed_ and I-" he broke off, swallowing at the memory. "I- uh... I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help, so I started fiddling with it, and..." he laughed. "Well, it was a dumb idea. It suddenly came on and... I got shocked."

He tried to ignore the look of horror on Remus' face, but it was difficult. He squirmed under the attention, glancing at his hand instead. There was no evidence that it had ever been glowing, nor that Remus' wand had burned him. He felt a light shiver pass through his fingers as he flexed them, but other than that, he felt normal, if a little drained.

Jazz cleared her throat then and it seemed to pull Remus out of his reverie. "So, you think this might have something to do with Danny's magic?"

He was silent for a moment, but with one last look at Danny he nodded, addressing the both of them. "Yes, without a doubt. I fear that the shock may have affected your magic, Daniel- especially given that your... _ghost portal_ was involved. Mind you, I'm no expert on the matter- but it's possible it might be the reason the light from the spell came up green, as well." He folded his arms and frowned in thought, Danny watching him anxiously. "Given how... t_umultuous_ your magic seems to be, I'd say that it's more important than ever for you to have an education in how to control and develop it. Of course, this is entirely up to you whether or not you attend Hogwarts, but I _highly_ recommend it." He grew slightly stern with these words, fixing Danny with a hard stare. "You might have made it this far without dilemma, but untamed magic, especially magic that has been tampered with, can and will show itself eventually in an ugly way."

Danny could do nothing but nod, his mind buzzing with new information and countless hopes and concerns. Attending Hogwarts definitely sounded like something that could benefit him- but if he left now, who would take care of Amity Park? Sam and Tucker couldn't do it by themselves, and Valerie seemed to be out of commission...

"Can I-" Danny's voice failed him, so he cleared his throat and began again. "Can I have a while to think about it?"

"Of course," the professor replied quickly. "But as much as it pains me, your decision will have to come soon- you would have a _lot_ of catching up to do were you to be able to join those of your age in their schooling. In the meantime, I will write to Dumbledore about the possibility of your attendance, as well as your sister's, and continue searching for any other potential students-"

"And what about the issue with Phantom?" Jazz interrupted. Danny couldn't help but perk up at the mention of his alter ego, but otherwise showed no sign of recognition. Hopefully Remus would misinterpret his sudden alertness as simply the result of such a curious question. "You said he had something to do with all this."

"Indeed, but I'm afraid I can divulge little more of the situation than what I've already told you. To put it in the most basic terms, I need to speak with him- urgently."

"You think he can help you with Voldemort and his death eaters?"

"Yes. But that's all I can say on the matter." Remus seemed apologetic but he wasted no time in continuing, unknowingly talking over the top of Danny, who had just been about to speak. "But enough of all that- like I said; I need to write to Dumbledore but before that can happen, I'd like to conduct one last test, if it's all right with you, Daniel."

The boy in question stiffened, both frustrated that he wasn't able to ask more about what was needed of him and fearful of Remus' request. "... What is it?"

Remus pulled out his wand again, holding it aloft, but he made no move to hand it over. It was an odd thing- little more than a stick in appearance and yet they'd seen for themselves what one could do with it.

He held the thing in one hand and gestured to it with the other. "Wands are a tool for the conduction of magic, but a wizard may not necessarily need to use one- magic can be conducted through a variety of instruments- you could even use a fork if you so chose." He chuckled at the thought and the others smiled, relaxing a little. "The reason we use wands is because they are made specifically for the purpose of conducting magic, thus making it far easier and, given that they themselves have magical properties, tying them to the user. In many cases, it can even enhance magic- but I digress. I have never seen such a violent reaction between a wand and a wizard before, nor have I read of any similar instance occurring. As such, it is my belief that you may be more suited to something commonly referred to as _wandless magic_."

"Wandless magic?" Danny repeated blankly.

The man nodded. "You noticed how the light from the spell you cast created a light above your hand rather than at the tip of the wand, yes? Should you choose to begin training, we can have you test a number of other wands to make sure that this is constant, but I can't think it would make much of a difference. I think, rather, that this accident you were involved in has given you an unusual affinity for wandless magic- that is, casting spells with one's body rather than through a wand or other such item."

"Okay..." Danny said slowly. "Uh... How would we test that?"

Remus looked about the room, searching until his eyes came upon the couch. He pointed at one of the cushions, directing Danny's gaze. "See that pillow on the couch over there?"

"Yeah...?"

"I'd like you to hold your hand out towards it."

Danny, feeling quite unsure of himself, stretched his hand out towards the pillow as if about to fire an ectoblast. It felt unusual to be in such a position with no intention of using his ghost powers and he was having difficulty focusing on the couch rather than on his own hand. "What now?" his voice shook a little, some of his earlier nerves returning.

Remus noticed, it seemed, as he put a comforting hand on Danny's shouder. "While keeping your mind focused as well as you can on that pillow, I'd like you to say _wingardium leviosa_. If all goes well, it should simply levitate a little off the couch. Go on, give it a try."

"Uh..." Danny swallowed heavily, jolting when he felt a familiar yet strange tingling at his fingertips. He couldn't help but feel slightly annoyed with how jumpy he was being- he'd dealt with stranger things with more grace, why was this whole magic business making him feel so agitated?

'_Maybe I just need sleep...'_ he thought, gazing longingly at the couch.

Upon reflection, Danny would later conclude that it was his utter fatigue and the uncontrollable want of sleeping on the couch that led to the following occurrences. With his attention wholly on the pillow _and_ what it was resting on, Danny did what felt most natural to him in that instant.

He flicked his fingers and called out in a surprisingly strong voice.

"_Wingardium leviosa!_"

A bright jet of acid green light came shooting from his hand and hit with the couch with a shudder. Before anyone could make anything of what had happened, the couch shot upwards, colliding with the ceiling with a thunderous crash, cracks spreading across the ceiling from the point of contact. When Danny flinched and withdrew his hand with a cry, the couch followed the movement and shot towards them, passing barely over their heads and colliding with the table behind them with a terrible smashing sound. It stopped moving then, leaving the room in a state of disarray and its occupants scared and shaking.

Two of them looked to the boy who had cast the spell, who had gone deathly pale and seemed just about to collapse. They rushed to his side in an instant, supporting him as he began to shiver violently.

"Daniel, are you all right? How do you feel?!" Remus' urgent voice barely reached him. Danny's mind was muddled and foggy- he was barely aware of there being anyone with him at all.

His voice was barely audible when he mumbled, in a weak voice, "That wasn't... supposed to..." and fell limp in a dead faint.

* * *

**Thank you all so much for all the follows, favourites and reviews- you guys are amazing!**

Sorry for the short delay- this past week has been pretty hectic! I turned 18! :D

So, to make up for it, this chapter is a bit longer than the previous two :3

**To answer some questions:**

- Danny has ALL of the powers that he developed over the course of the show- but given that I've had this fic take place a little after D-Stabilized, he's a little more powerful than he was in the show- not by a crazy amount, mind you. This also means that, yes, TUE has taken place.

- In regards to the timeline: In attempting to put together the respective DP and HP stories, I've made no adjustments to the DP timeline but I have moved the HP timeline forward by a number of years so that Danny and co. are the same age as Harry and his year. This will make pretty much no difference to the contents of the fic or any book references whatsoever given that in the Harry Potter series technology takes a backseat anyway.

Anyway, same deal- reviews are highly appreciated, and feel free to ask questions and send me a PM if there's anything you want to discuss- but keep in mind that I won't just be giving away any spoilers ;3

I should update same time next week- until then! ^-^


	4. Chapter 4- Alignment

**Hi there! **Thank you all for all the follows, favourites and reviews! Enjoy :3

* * *

**Chapter Four- Alignment**

The students of Casper High had been conditioned to accept all sorts of abnormalities- the presence of ghosts and the various implications of that just for starters- but sometimes they were confronted with an event that had even _them_ questioning the reality of their existence.

Danny Fenton- _the_ Danny Fenton- was early for school.

He was not unaware of the stares he was receiving as he trudged through the hallways and up to his locker, but he wasn't exactly paying any attention to them either. No, his mind was focused on much more important matters- namely, the events of the previous evening. Leaning with his back against his locker, he pulled out his phone and stared blankly at the inactive screen. He needed to talk to Sam and Tucker.

To be perfectly honest, he wasn't exactly sure how he should be feeling. On one hand, the fact that wizardry and magic existed and that he was apparently a part of it was incredibly daunting- but on the other, he had slept _really_ well last night. It was likely a sign that he wasn't taking the situation he was in seriously enough that the latter was currently of greater importance to him, but he couldn't find it in him to care- not yet at least. He had, for the first time since even before he got his ghost powers, woken up on time that morning. He had gotten dressed, eaten his breakfast, spoken to Jazz and headed to school.

It was all absurdly normal.

He knew it wasn't going to last- Jazz had informed him that Remus was now more determined than ever to have him attend the wizarding school he had been talking about, and would be dropping in again that afternoon to speak further. Hopefully their parents would be home again by then to help sort everything out, because at this point it was hardly a question of whether or not he would be going. He couldn't protect Amity Park if the untrained magic within him made him a ticking time bomb- he would definitely be attending Hogwarts; it was now a matter of finding someone to guard Amity Park while he was away.

He sighed, rubbing his eyes furiously. _'Find someone to protect Amity Park while I'm away. Talk to Sam and Tucker. Talk to Valerie while I still have a chance. Talk to Remus as Phantom. Sort out all this magic stuff,'_ he told himself firmly. _'Shouldn't be too hard... right?'_

He repeated this to himself several times before giving up with a sigh and checking his phone. He still had half an hour before class started, which meant Sam and Tucker would probably be here in ten- sooner if he texted them and told them to hurry up. He considered this for a moment, then shook his head, shoving the device back into his pocket. He could use this time to figure out what exactly he would say to them. There was no way he was hiding anything from either of his best friends- even if he tried, he knew they'd figure it out before long anyway.

'_I could always just get right to the point with "Hey guys, so... magic exists, apparently..." I guess...'_

Sam would believe him right off the bat. If anything, she'd probably beg to be tested for it- Tucker too, though with less enthusiasm. He'd have to ask Remus to conduct the same test on them as had been done for himself and Jazz. Hopefully without any of the backlash.

The only problem was Valerie. He _needed_ to talk to her before he left, but he wasn't sure how much time he had- or whether or not she'd be willing to listen.

He pursed his lips, pulling out his phone and checking the time again. He had seven minutes until Sam and Tucker arrived. He stared at the screen until this minute passed to the next, then made his decision, typing out a text.

"_**Sorry guys, I can't explain now, but I won't be at school today. I'm not in trouble or anything, I just need to sort some stuff out. Meet me outside my house this afternoon, I'll talk to you then."**_

He ignored the responding buzzing and made his way to the nearest classroom, taking a moment to check that it was empty before entering. He spared time for just one last glance around before he let the rings of transformation wash over him, the pull of gravity releasing its hold as he flew out the open window, his form invisible to the people below.

It was now or never. Today was the second-last day of school; he still had tomorrow to speak with Lancer and the principal about being absent during his final year, and he was sure his parents wouldn't mind him taking one day off once they found out about what had happened the previous night. It was the perfect opportunity to confront both Remus and Valerie without causing too much fuss.

Floating high above the school, he cast his eyes downward in search of his feisty friend and found her crouched low behind the bleachers next to the football field, staring at a small device on her wrist.

Ah, he should have known she would be alerted to the appearance of a ghost in the vicinity. At least it made things easier.

He made sure to keep himself invisible until he was out of sight to the rest of the students, moving slowly and cautiously. Her body tensed as he approached and he wasn't surprised when her familiar dark red suit enveloped her body and her gaze snapped up to glare at where he should be.

"Come out here, ghost!" she shouted in a clear voice. "Show yourself before I _make_ you show yourself!"

She raised an arm in his direction and he swallowed nervously when he saw the ecto-blaster perched atop her wrist. He halted his movements.

"Uh-" he began, clearing his throat. "I was maybe thinking I could stay invisible until we agreed you wouldn't shoot me?" he called hopefully.

She snorted and Danny frowned when he detected a flash of some unrecognisable emotion in her expression. "Ghost boy," she muttered with a smirk. "I should have known." She shook her head, jumped to create space for her board to kick in, and rose to his level with the blaster still pointed at where she guessed his chest would be. She wasn't far off either. "Why would I do that?" she scoffed. "Isn't that what we agreed was exactly what I _would_ do?"

"I need to talk to you."

"About what?"

"About..." Danny hesitated. "It's important. Really important. But I can't tell you anything else until you agree you won't shoot at me."

"Show yourself first and maybe I'll consider it."

"That's- ugh. Fine." A second later he was visible again and Valerie had readjusted her gun to aim at his heart. He fought the urge to edge away. "I need to talk to you," he repeated.

"Then talk."

"I need to talk to you without the chance of being _blown to bits_ the minute I say anything!"

Valerie narrowed her eyes and Danny inwardly berated himself for snapping. He knew it was never a good idea to be brash around Valerie- not if he was trying to accomplish something without it turning violent- but he had little patience at the moment. Taking a deep breath, he held his hands up, palms facing away from her.

"I need to talk to you about something _really important_- to both you and me- and I can't talk about it with you pointing a gun at me."

"Can't it wait? Unlike _some people_, I'm busy," she retorted. Danny didn't miss her anxious glance towards the school, but he feigned ignorance.

"Whatever it is, this is more important. I need your help."

That got her attention. Her eyes widened in surprise and- involuntarily or not- she lowered her arm. ". . . What for?" she asked slowly, brow furrowed with suspicion.

"Can we talk about this on the ground?"

Valerie sighed, cast one last glance at the school, and nodded. Her gun disappeared into the confines of her suit and, once she was close enough to the bleachers, her board did too. She kept an eye on Phantom as he flew down to stand beside her, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That was easier than I expected," he admitted upon landing, still with his hands in the air.

She chuckled lightly in response, but it sounded a little strained. "Yeah, well, that whole business with Danielle may or may not have opened me up a little to listening to you every now and then. Whether or not I made the right decision, that's another story," she added seriously. "What's this about, Phantom?"

Danny took a deep, steadying breath, and lowered his arms to rest on his hips. "I, uh... I might be leaving Amity Park for a while, and I need to know you can take care of this place while I'm gone."

He was met with a blank stare. "You- wait- _what_?" Valerie stammered. "You're leaving?"

Danny attempted a half-smile and rubbed the back of his neck. "Not permanently, I just have to take care of something in the, uh... Ghost Zone. Some people need my help and there's a good chance I won't be back for a long time."

"A long time being how long exactly?"

"... A year. Or more. It depends on how things work out."

"A whole _year?!_" Valerie exclaimed. She leant closer, lowering her voice. "Are you serious?"

Danny nodded, laughing a little. "Yeah, but like I said, it could be more. I can't tell you what it is," he added hastily when she looked like she was about to interrupt. "Really, I can't- I would if I could, honest! But this is kind of super important ghost-business and as much as I know you _could_ help if you wanted to- you can't. Not this time. Not where I'm going, anyway. What you _can_ do is protect Amity Park while I'm gone."

"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "Like you care what happens to this place."

"Yeah yeah, ghosts don't have feelings, yadda yadda yadda, whatever. Can you protect this place?"

"Of course I can!" she declared fiercely. "I would have done it whether or not you asked, you know."

Danny held up his hands in surrender. "I know! I just needed to make sure. And, um- I was thinking I might try and get Dani to come too. A year's a long time, after all- and a _lot_ of work."

"Dani's coming?"

To Danny's surprise, he saw a flash of relief in Valerie's expression, but he wasn't sure what to make of it. He fought down the rising concern within him, knowing full well that if he was careless with his knowledge, Valerie would only close herself off to him. She was already having difficulty bringing herself to accept that some ghosts experienced emotion- if he said anything about her acting strangely, she would take it as her enemy being privy to her weaknesses. Or at least, that was what he suspected would happen. She had a penchant for being hopelessly stubborn.

"I'm thinking about asking her to. She doesn't have anything else going on that I know about, and I know she's capable of keeping Amity Park safe- especially with you at her side. Plus there's the added bonus of knowing you two won't be at each other's throats the whole time," he added with a laugh.

For the first time since meeting him there, Valerie fully relaxed, letting an easy smile spread across her lips. "Yeah, well... She's a sweet kid." She shifted, looking again at the school. "Look, uh- was that all? I really should get going."

"Oh! Yeah, yeah, that was it- uh, so you'll-?"

"I'll take care of Amity Park," she assured him. "And if she comes, I'll take care of Dani too."

"Thanks," he said sincerely. "It means a lot to me."

"Yeah, yeah," Valerie waved his words away, but he saw that her smile had widened. "Get out of here, ghost kid."

"Going!" Danny started to fly away, but just as he heard the small clinking of Valerie's armour retracting, a thought struck him and he turned back. "Oh, um- Valerie!"

She stiffened, visibly ill-at-ease without her armour on. "What?" she called back cautiously.

"I know you and Vlad have this whole "beck and call" thing going but _please_ don't tell him Dani's coming, right? I mean, I know you might think that the misunderstanding from last time is over, but..." he trailed off, staring at her in worry. "Valerie? You okay?"

She had gone tense, her face twisted with that same unidentifiable emotion he'd seen before- he just couldn't place it. At the sound of her name, it vanished and she attempted another grin, failing miserably.

"I won't tell him. Get out of here, Phantom. I'll see you whenever you get back."

At this, she turned her back and walked away and Danny was left alone, a chill creeping down his spine.

She hadn't even bothered to question him. Whatever was going wrong with her, Vlad had something to do with it.

. . .

Much to his dismay, the deep, blissful sleep Remus had experienced during his first night at Amity Park's cheapest motel was not to be had the night after. The events that had taken place during his visit to the Fenton's house haunted him- it was rare to see such a violent display of magic, and the fact that it was not intentional made it all the worse. What sort of wizard had the capability of such destruction with a spell as basic as levitation?

In any case, it meant that Daniel's training was nothing short of urgent. Whether or not he had made it thus far without any catastrophes, magic had a terrible habit of revealing itself at the most inopportune times, and in the worst way possible. If nothing was done, someone was going to get hurt- and as little as he knew him, Remus suspected Daniel feared nothing worse.

He spent more time the next day than he'd have liked to conversing with Ryan, and even longer giving updates on his progress to random passers-by as he walked the streets. More people than he ever remembered meeting seemed to recognise him and were insistent that he chat with them for an inordinate length of time, ignoring his half-hearted protests and insistence that he really should be actually _looking_ for the ghost boy, and not _discussing_ him. He'd gotten as much information as he deemed necessary from his conversation with Jasmine, and if he managed to meet with her parents that night as he'd promised he would, he imagined he would be learning a lot more later.

Time passed as such for most of the morning- making his way agonisingly slowly around Amity Park's main streets, finding himself growing ever more agitated and regretfully short with the dizzying number of people who insisted on approaching him. In the end, as it approached midday and he found himself decidedly exhausted, he found himself wandering down a semi-crowded street towards one of the few genuinely charming cafés Amity Park had to offer. He had found it the previous day, after enquiring after the town's eateries and politely shunning any mention of an establishment by the name of the "Nasty Burger". The place was small and full of people, though none of them seemed to want to stay, so Remus was easily able to find a table to himself.

As luck would have it, it was just as the waiter was taking his order that there came the sound of shouting approaching from outside- two voices, too quiet to understand, rising in volume as their owners came closer to the crowded café. The occupants fell silent, ears straining to catch what little could be understood, and a few started to wander outside in search of whoever could be causing such a racket. When the voices suddenly quieted they returned inside, looking a little put-out, only to cringe and cry out when a crash sounded from overhead. Amidst the resulting chaos, Remus was able to make out the voices from before- louder this time and easily heard even above the panicked cries of the populace. It was in that moment that he realised, much to his shock, that he recognised both of them. He rushed out to investigate, squeezing past the people clamouring to do the same and sure enough there he was- the elusive Danny Phantom- arguing yet again with the very same ghost from yesterday.

Remus was a well-travelled man. He had suffered a number of strange experiences, and been witness to many more- he had dealt with each as they had come, and as such had gained access to a wealth of knowledge and insight that granted him the ability to deal with new situations as they arose. However, during his time in Amity Park, he had found himself feeling unsettlingly at a loss in general, and occasionally completely nonplussed. As he stared up at the two figures floating high above him, voices raised in argument, he was forced to consider himself the latter, and wonder whether he oughtn't interrupt. He had found the ghost he was looking for- but the ghost he was looking for didn't look like he particularly wanted to be found.

"Look, all I'm saying is that if you're going to get excited about something new, you should at least try and figure out how to use it!" The voice of the renowned Danny Phantom reached Remus' ears easily, seething with frustration.

'_Ah, so that's what this is about,'_ Remus thought. At least he knew where the crash had come from now- according to the large boy-shaped dent in a sign high above them, the Box Ghost had apparently grown so infuriated with Phantom's logic that he decided to make the fight physical. The burn mark in the creature's overalls told viewers the boy wasn't going to let that happen again.

The Box Ghost's voice grew louder and more agitated in response. "I do not _need_ to learn anything _new_! It is _my_ Doomix Box and I will use it how I want!"

"Look, would you just let me show you?!"

"N- HEY!"

Phantom snatched the Rubik's Cube out of the overall-wearing ghost's hold and began to twist it furiously, the faces flying between positions in his expert grip. Its owner flew into a rage, bulbous blue cheeks turning red as he fought valiantly for possession over the small toy, unaware that they had a small audience below them watching their struggle. Remus found himself wondering again if he shouldn't interrupt, but he held himself back. He suspected any move to interfere would only have negative repercussions.

The Box Ghost had wrapped his legs around Phantom's neck and was making harried grabs for the Rubik's Cube, which Phantom was still fiddling with, holding it protectively close to his chest.

"GIVE- IT- BACK!" he shouted between lunges.

"NYAGH- NO!"

At this point it was really nothing more than a childish debate fuelled by each person's stubbornness. The Box Ghost started pulling at Phantom's hair- the other ignored him, so intent on his mission that it seemed he had outright forgotten about his ghostly capabilities. Still, Remus had to hand it to him- Phantom was doing surprisingly well with the cube. Even with the Box Ghost hindering his progress, he was done in under two minutes, to the polite applause of his audience.

He separated himself from the Box Ghost with some difficulty, then presented him with the completed Rubik's Cube.

"See?!" he huffed triumphantly. "_This_ is what you do with it!" he spun the cube around, showing the ghost the completed faces. "It's like a puzzle!"

"It is _not_!" the Box Ghost snapped as he took the cube back, ruining all of Phantom's work within three seconds of rushed pulling and twisting. "It's just- agh! No, that's-" he stammered, his voice getting quieter and more pathetic the more he messed with it. "It's not..." he trailed off, then presented it to Phantom with a huff. "Do it again. Fix it."

The boy only laughed in response, folding his arms over his chest. "No way, dude. Fix it yourself, I've had enough of you for one day. Besides, I've got better things to do with my time than teach you how to work a Rubik's Cube."

"IT IS A _DOOMIX BOX_ AND IT WILL BE YOUR DOOM! Once I have gained mastery over it, this Doomix Box will bring nothing but DEATH and DESTRUCTION!"

"Uh-huh. Sure." A bright flash of light followed and suddenly the Box Ghost was gone- and when Phantom clamped the lid of the thermos in his hands shut, his voice was gone too. It was after he had strapped the thermos to his back that the boy finally noticed the people below him and he stiffened, his cheeks flushing green with embarrassment.

"Uh, hi!" he called as casually as he could manage. "Sorry about that, uh... He's been annoying me for a while now."

"At least you got him, right?" someone called, and Phantom laughed, rubbing the back of his neck as the crowd tittered.

"Yeah, I guess. Anyway, I'll uh... I'll get out of here, everyone just go back to doing whatever you were doing or whatev- hey!" As his fluorescent eyes landed on Remus he started, then flew down towards him. The crowd parted immediately, forming a circle around the ghost boy and the man in the tattered suit that made Remus feel oddly exposed- particularly in the presence of such a supposedly powerful being, as much as his boyish form worked to dispel any and all authoritative aura. As it was, he was currently trying his hardest to force himself to speak as it seemed that upon landing Phantom had lost the impulse that brought him to the ground and was struggling to find something to say.

"Danny Phantom, yes?" Remus prompted, finding himself strangely amused by the hero's hesitance.

"Yes!" he replied quickly, with relief. "Sorry, I just wasn't sure how to start."

"That's quite all right," Remus chuckled, now feeling rightly confused. "Why-"

"It's just that I heard that you were looking for me, and it only just hit me that maybe you're not actually the person I'm looking for...?" he rubbed his neck again- a nervous habit, Remus assumed. At least he knew why Phantom seemed to recognise him now.

"It's the suit, isn't it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"And the accent," Phantom admitted with a grin. "You _are_ the one I'm looking for, right? It's just that we don't exactly get many visitors here, so..."

Remus nodded. "Yes, I believe I am. I've been meaning to talk to you about something important, but I fear it's something we must talk about with less of an audience," he added in an undertone, glancing at the crowd around them.

Phantom took the hint. "Is there somewhere you have in mind?" he asked equally softly.

"Can you follow me without being seen?"

Phantom grinned and nodded. He placed his hand on Remus' shoulder and disappeared from sight- and had it not been for the continued presence of the hand, Remus might have panicked. As it was, he had enough trouble keeping still when Phantom's bodiless whisper reached his ears.

"I'll stay invisible and follow you to wherever you want- just say the word whenever you're ready."

Remus stayed silent. Ignoring the confused chatter of the people around him, he pushed his way through the crowd, silently hoping that, as he had promised, Phantom was following overhead.

. . .

The walk to the motel was an odd one. Remus moved with a purpose, and somehow the people of Amity Park seemed to pick up on it. He was left alone for the first time that day- ironic, he supposed, as he was less alone than he'd ever truly been since his arrival. Phantom was indeed flying alongside him, assuring Remus of his presence with the occasional tap on his shoulder or murmured comment in his ear. They reached their destination within twenty minutes, whereupon Phantom reappeared, and Remus' first instinct was to offer him a drink.

'_This is so surreal,'_ Remus thought as he handed Phantom his mug, unable to look away as the boy took his first sip of the weak tea the motel provided. He had regretted asking Phantom if he wanted a drink the moment he finished speaking, fearing he had committed some great offence knowing that ghosts typically couldn't consume anything. As he was learning now, he never should have worried- apparently ecto-based ghosts differed from magical ones in more ways than he'd thought.

Remus took his own mug in hand and sat opposite his guest at the tiny table in the corner of the room, fixing him with an odd stare. "A corporeal ghost," he murmured, "with the ability to eat and drink. That's a first."

"Oh?" Phantom looked at him, setting down his drink with a wry smile. "What kind of ghosts are you used to, then?"

Remus took a long, deep breath. "Magical ones. The ghosts of witches and wizards, to be precise."

"Then you're a wizard?"

Remus breathed a silent sigh of relief. If Phantom already knew about magic, he wouldn't need to explain too much. He was loath to repeat his speech on magic again. He nodded. "Yes, I am. And the existence of magic is precisely what I mean to discuss with you, if that's all right."

"Sure. Mind you, I only really know the whole "magic exists" thing, not much more" he added ruefully.

"For now, it's more than enough. It allows me to skip the basics."

It seemed prudent to explain first why the wizarding world and Amity Park had so little to do with one another- that much, Remus could say with ease. Of Lord Voldemort, he spoke little- of the destruction he caused, he spoke at length. He told Phantom as much as he could of Death Eaters and of the Order of the Phoenix, of Dumbledore and his school- even of the boy named Harry Potter and his involvement in both the death and resurrection of the great dark lord, but in the end it all came down to one sentence.

"The Order of the Phoenix, and the wizarding world at large, need your help."

Phantom had remained silent throughout all of Remus' speech, interjecting only occasionally to ask a question or clarify a point. Now he watched the man before him with his hands folded on the tabletop, brow furrowed in concentration and worry. ". . . When will we be leaving?" he asked finally, and Remus felt himself stiffen.

"Three days from now at most, but I'm hoping we can leave sooner," he replied. "There are several children here who I intend to bring with me back to Hogwarts; they've proven themselves capable of magic and it's doubtful the American schooling system will want anything to do with them- assuming the American Ministry would even _consider_ associating itself with Amity Park and its inhabitants after all these years..." He paused. "Does this mean you'll join us?"

"Yeah, it does." Phantom smiled, pushing away his mug with a look of apology. "I just need to know a couple more things- would you offer a place to stay?"

"Yes," Remus' voice was thick with relief. "We can offer you space at our headquarters until the start of the school year, and then further lodging at Hogwarts. Do you... erm, do you sleep?"

"No, so you don't need to worry about getting me a room or anything, just knowing there's a house to go to is enough. And, uh- food isn't really totally necessary either, but if I'm there-"

"You won't have to worry about food, I can assure you of that," Remus interrupted with a knowing smile. "As for what you would be doing- I'm afraid you'd have to speak with Dumbledore on that one. As far as I know you could be doing nothing but helping out with cleaning duties." He gave a light laugh. "Not very exciting, I must apologise- I'm not making the best case here, am I?"

Phantom's smile widened. "Whatever I can do to help." With that, he stood from his chair, taking care to tuck it in. "So, is that all for today?"

"Yes, it was. Ah- how do I contact you? I can't imagine we'll have such luck as to simply run into each other again when it's time to leave."

Phantom laughed at that, cocking his head in thought. "Um, well I guess I could come check up on this place every now and then? Maybe something like... Turn the doorhandle red and I'll know you're waiting for me at the park... or something."

"How about I simply stand outside the door?"

"Fine, be boring. That works too."

With a small wave, Phantom flew upwards and straight through the ceiling, leaving Remus alone at the small table with his cold mug of tea still half-full in front of him, feeling as though a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

* * *

**Again, thank you so much for all the follows, favourites and reviews, you people are incredible :3**

SO. HUGE delay, I know, and I'm really really sorry! I'll try my best to get this thing back on track ^-^

In the meantime, **an important point:**

- I won't be giving away all the names of people going to Hogwarts, but I will say for certain, just in case the events of this chapter weren't enough to confirm it, that Valerie will not be attending. This does NOT mean that I'm leaving her out of the story- she's just got her own agenda :)

That's all! As usual, feel free to send me a PM concerning any questions you might have about the story (no spoilers, sorry!) and reviews are highly appreciated!

Thanks for reading!

Until next time :D


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